I Need Your Feedback.

As Mommyzabs.com is refining it’s purpose and finding itself (this must be my blogs college years! ), I really could use some feedback from the people that care- YOU!

I received an excellent comment from MoTu that said the following:

Sorry to have commented on this a little late, but here’s my input if you’re interested. I love the cartoon picture of you and the “Mommy Zabs” right next to it. That is well done. You have a lot to say about a lot of different things (not just ‘mommy’ stuff). So I find your title to be limiting (for a new comer they might think it’s simply another mommy blog) and a bit vague as to it’s purpose (after reading “Motherhood is not a cussword” I am left with thinking, what does this mean and how is it relevant to this blog?). In my opinion, it doesn’t encompass and represent what your blog is. Again, this is merely my opinion. I hope it make sense.

I have already explained here the reason for my title. However, I have not fully shared my developing thoughts as to why I will be leaning more toward solely ‘mommy topics’ on this blog. They are by no means final… but thoughts in process. That being the case, I would love to pick your brains on it.

Being a mom is the role I spend most of everyday doing. It is also the role I have enjoyed more than any other in my life. I see “Motherhood is Not a Cussword” as a rebellion against the stereotype of motherhood, and a rebellion of progressive cultures, disdain for it. As a mother I still love following pop-culture, politics, current events, social issues, and of course my faith in Jesus works into everything. I have always seen my blog as a place that contains ALL the things I’m interested in.

Lately I have had to hold back. I hold back because I’m afraid of focusing on one part of me too much and dis-interesting the rest of you. I have an eclectic mix of readers because of the variety of blogs I visit. I know some of you tune out on some of the topics… and that is fine. I also think I have lost many of my old blogger friends possibly due to my political stances. Election 2008 campaigning will be coming in full force soon. I know I will be tempted to post on this. But this is a ‘mommy blog’.

I have been thinking of starting another blog. This would still be written from a mom, family, and Christian perspective but would be a political blog. It would have more than one author, one of which would be me, Mommy Zabs. All the authors would be Christian mothers and it would be written for mother’s (mainly). Hopefully, there will be some varying on opinions of topics in the political realm for the sake of good-hearted debate. All authors would be in agreement on certain fundamentals however, (eg. abortion). But I think a healthy debate on ‘gray areas’ would be constructive.

This is one of the reasons mommyzabs.com was going to move more to a mom focus.

These are all developing thoughts… Like I said, My blog is finding itself, and unfortunately you all are going to witness the growing pains Which may mean a bad masthead or two, a plugin that creates errors on the page, changes in branding, etc.

When I started blogging years ago it was merely a journal, and a way to stay in touch with friends and family far away. It has evolved over these years and I have developed a passion for the blog world. I have made excellent friendships over the years. I’m ready to take my blog more seriously and let it become whatever it is suppose to. I want to promote motherhood, family values, and always Jesus in everything I do and say. If I can recoup a little from having a shop (which will develop a whole lot more as time progresses), and doing a little advertising, that is great. I invest a lot of time on this, but know it will never make me rich, and may make me nothing!

Please give me the honor of your honest feedback. Keep it the way it has been, an eclectic mix of topics? Continue in the mommy direction and start another blog? OR keep this eclectic but still start the political outlet?

On a couple side notes:

1. I’m still figuring out comment format. I installed a plugin that allows me to comment back to you easily and quickly, but I still like the replying in bold on your comment idea.

2. I added some of my network links to my sidebar. There are a couple that if I feel I have enough of a relationship with you I will welcome you as a friend. But those profiles contain personal information that I don’t feel is safe to release to the general public- I hope you understand. The other links are more blog related and will take all the friends we can get! Feel free to click on them if you are members of those networks and would like to add me as your friend

BBQ Rules

I have no idea who authored this but my SIL sent it to me via email today and I laughed so hard I had to share it!

BBQ RULES

We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it’s the only type of cooking a ‘real’ man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved.

When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:

Routine…
(1) The woman buys the food.

(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.

(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.

Here comes the important part:

(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

More routine….

(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.

(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.

Important again:

(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

More routine….

(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.

(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:

(10) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.

(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed “her night off.” And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there’s just no pleasing some women….
-author unknown

New Comment Format!

I just want to let you all know that after much back and forth in my own mind (gosh my mind can be such a scary place!) I have decided to reply to comments within the actual comment in bold as opposed to catching up on what has been written and doing a fat comment in reply.

My dad has been doing it and I have noticed it elsewhere. I decided I liked the idea because it was less up and down reading to follow conversation. I just implemented it and found it to be a HUGE time saver. I will take all the time savers in blogging I can get!

That being said I’m not sure if that will show up in Comment RSS feeds or not. I’m guessing that it won’t (Jordan do you know?) If you are a reader that likes to subscribe to comments please be aware of this. For email post subscribers I don’t think it will show up for you either.

If you have no clue about subscribing via RSS feed, and you have found reading blogs to be something you like, you HAVE to start doing it and save your precious time. It will notify you every time one of your favorite blogs post so that you do not waste time checking only to find nothing new is posted. You can do these through MANY formats. I use Google Reader . (I recently switched). I have a link on my side bar that says SUBSCRIBE, you can use that. Also if you like to see comments to a post you are interested in there are orange squares under the post that you can click to subscribe.

Introducing the Financing Your Family Blog

Finances are the #1 cause for divorce.

Money is the root of evil

EDIT: The LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Rightly corrected by Karen! Thank You! Amazing how one word omission can change something so much.

Most marital fights are about finances.

Being that most of my commenters (I would say readers but I have many more readers than commenters so I don’t know who you all are!) are in a marriage and/or have families I thought it would be good to point you to a brand new blog with it’s focus on finances for family. It is authored by a Christian and the things I have read so far are sound, encouraging, and wise. Please Check out the FINANCING YOUR FAMILY blog.

Because of the importance of this issue and the relevance to my intended readership I will be adding this to my ‘useful links’ menu as opposed to my blog roll.

Enjoy
-Mommy Zabs

Works for Me Wednesday- Easy Cooking

I have noticed a blog trend in the past week or so. Many of the Mommy blogs I routinely visit are talking cooking. A couple have posted recipes and 4 others have complained of being bored by their kitchen routines and are looking for new recipes.

I like to cook. The last few years of my life hardly reflect that. Severe pregnancy sickness, down-right lack of energy while breast-feeding, and severe dread of taking the kids to the grocery have deterred me. My dreams of being an amazing wife by cooking killer meals nightly has been just that, a dream.

As much as I would love to cook like one of my cousins, (several of them are magnificent bakers), I just haven’t been able to devote the time I need to cook the way they do. For the most part I settle for simple recipes. They need to taste good, but there is no room for getting complicated right now. I need easy to find ingredients, short prep time, and few ingredients.

I thought for this Works for Me Wednesday, (a new project I am participating in,) I would share a couple of my easy sure to please recipes.

Crockpots are a Godsend for mom’s! One of my favorite Crockpot recipes is this one.

Swiss Chicken Casserole
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I prefer smaller non hormone pumped ones myself. They taste better!)
6 slices of swiss cheese (I often throw more in because I heart cheese.)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c. of Milk
2c. chicken stuffing mix
1/2c. melted butter

Coat the slow-cooker with cooking spray.
Arrange the chicken in the Crockpot.
Top with cheese, layering if necessary.
Combine soup with the milk and stir well.
Spoon the mixture over the cheese.
Melt butter and stir with stuffing mix.
Pour stuffing over chicken and smooth over.

Cover and cook either on
Low for 8-10 hours
OR
High for 4-6 hours.
*Varies depending on the slow-cooker and of course your time constraints!
I often serve this over rice or with potatoes.

This one is not crock-pot but just as simple. It involves little prep time (maybe 5 minutes depending on how often your child interrupts.)

Indian Style Chicken Breast- (which I prefer to call chutney chicken)
In a blender or food processor (I use blender) mix together…
8 oz jar of mango chutney (should be near the sauces, ketchup etc. in grocery)
half cup of raisins
2 T olive oil
3/4 tsp. curry powder
1 clove of garlic
1/3 c. water

Blend.

Lay chicken in a 9×13 greased baking pan.
Pour mixture over top.

Cook on 400 for 25 minutes
OR
350 for 35 minutes.

I put this with steamed Jasmine Rice (that I make in my steamer), I add to it a tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 c. raisins and mix together.

*This recipe was given to me by my sister-in-law Janis.

This week I also tried 2 new VERY easy recipes courtesy of Carmen of Little Cooks in the Kitchen (Chicken Stroganoff) and she also tipped me onto this one by Laura from I’m an Organizing Junkie (Sweet and Sour Pork). I served them to my parents-in-law and we all agreed they were delicious!

Feel free to Share your favorites in the comments or your own blog (if you do this please post a link in the comments so we all can see!). I know it will help me and the other mommies that have begged for recipes in the last week.

3 Things I Pray My Boys Will Find in a Bride.

Jordan over at Mama Blogga Is holding a group writing project and this time I wanted to jump in! The theme is “3 things I want my kids too…” and you can fill in the rest of the idea. If you are interested in joining check out this link for full details.

On to my post for the project.
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3 Things I Pray my Boys Will Find in a Bride.

Choosing a mate. Wow.

Because I’m a mother of a pre-schooler and a toddler the idea of them choosing a mate some day is a difficult thing to imagine! I barely allow them being away from me for more than a few hours! Despite that, I’m aware that some day my little birds will fly away and at some point probably marry (I hope!). I keep this forward thought in my mind as I pray for them.

It’s wild to imagine that the little girl may be out there somewhere already. That some mommy and daddy (I pray for her sake,) are raising her with love and leading her in a way that will make her a good wife and mother (again I hope!) some day.

I know I know, I am reflecting MY WANTS onto their choice already! I see every reason to have a goal and pray blessings on their life. I hope that when that time comes around I am able to be as wonderful and gracious as my own mother-in-law is to me.

If I could outline the things I pray for most regularly regarding their wives it would be these:

1. That she would love Jesus and see her life as a process in which she is shaped in molded more into His likeness. Let’s face it, no one is perfect! But to Love Jesus first above all else will cause all things naturally, over time, to fall into place. That in all things she would be teachable. That she would never feel like she has “arrived” but will always have a perspective that desires to grow while maintaining thankfulness for where she is at.

2. I pray that she would never see divorce as an option and understand the seriousness of her vows made on her wedding day. I pray that her love for my son would be there on both the good days and the bad ones. The days he is being crappy and the days he is her prince. That she would demonstrate her love by thinking about his needs and desiring to meet them.

3. I pray that she would be his best friend. That he will have shared more laughs with her than anyone else. That she would be able to grow and dream with him. That they could share everything, run to each other in excitement with accomplishments, and cry together with defeats. I pray that their friendship would challenge and sharpen each other.

It’s good to have an opportunity to consider these things. I pray we are able to raise boys that have these same values deep within their being.

What do you pray or hope for your own children?

Swamp Thing

When I left for an appointment this evening after dinner Mimi was taking the boys for a walk down by the lake. Owen had begged all day long to go see the fishies and excitedly took off.

I’m not sure what all happened because I was not there, but apparently at some point while Mimi was trying to teach Owen something down on the ground. Lukas bent to pick something up and gained momentum toward the water. He tripped and fell face first in the water’s edge and down into the mud. Mimi quick on her toes grabbed him out of the murky shallow stuff to reveal a MUD COVERED Lukas.

Apparently Owen was so devastated at the sight of his swamp-thing brother that he started screaming at the top of his lungs and stomping his feet! Mimi calmed him down explaining that Lukas only had mud on him and that she could wash it out. She grabbed the one and only tissue she had on her and cleaned him up to the best of her ability and headed back. I missed the grand reveal of our mud covered child, but fortunately JJ took some pictures before he was fully cleaned up.

Mimi and Jeff said Lukas went to bed pretty mad that he had been wet and dirty so long. He has been out a few hours and it appears he hasn’t moved a muscle in his crib yet! Poor sweet little guy. Mimi felt bad- but she needn’t to. I am well-aware that these little boys can slip out of your fingers! She reacted quickly and brought him out safe and sound. Thank God for her quick reflexes.

And now for the visual after being partially cleaned.

His Purposeful Process

Every once and awhile I go back through the archives of my blog and look up the same date or month as it is that day for previous years. I find it to be an interesting way to reflect on where we have come from and  how much has changed.  I did that recently and I came across a blog containing one of my all time favorite Oswald Chambers daily devotionals.  I posted the following in June 2005, (and have edited and tweaked it today).

———————————————————————————————————

One thing I have focused on before in my blog when I’m discussing anything I might be going through is the realization that the process is God’s concern in our life. In contrast, as humans, we are often obsessed with the end, the result. Our generation in particular has this over-arching theme of “discovering your purpose”. One Amazon search on Purpose will turn you up title after title. Even the Christian bookstores are full of books that claim they will reveal the secret unlocking our purpose.

We desire with everything in us to “get there”. God cares how we get there. In Oswald Chambers My Utmost for his Highest, I came across a bible study that was one of the first to reveal this truth to me. The first time I read it, my thinking in regards to life and its purpose turned inside out. Because it impacted me so much, and I find myself needing to be reminded so often, I thought I would post it. For reference, it is on July 28 in My Utmost for his Highest- Oswald Chambers.

We are apt to imagine that Jesus Christ constrains us, and we obey Him, He will lead us to great success. We must never put our dreams of success as God’s purpose for us; that God is leading us to a particular end, a desired goal; He is not. The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What we call the process, God calls the end.

What is my dream of God’s purpose? His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God. God is not working toward a particular finish; His end is the process- That I see Him walking on the sea. It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God.

God’s training is for now; not presently. His purpose is for this minute; not for something in the future. We have nothing to do with the afterwards of obedience; we get wrong when we think of the afterward. What men call training and preparation, God calls the end.

God’s end is to enable me to see that He can walk on the chaos of my life just now. If we have a further end in view; we do not pay sufficient attention to the immediate present: if we realize that obedience is the end, Then each moment as it comes is precious.”

Cha Cha Cha Changes!

I know, it probably seems I’m addicted to change. 3 different blog addresses in this year alone (after more than 2 years in one place I will add), constant header changes, a store, little ads here and there.

Despite this, I promise I am figuring out where I’m going I love that the fact I am now on my own domain allows me so much creative flexibility to mess around with. It is also causing me to stay up much later than I should!

This new header is a start in a direction I already have in my mind. It may take me a bit to get there, I’m not sure.

I also want to point out the slight change in emphasis in my header. I have decided to make “motherhood is not a cussword” as my main title. Of course, written by yours truly, Mommy Zabs. I have long-term reasons for this that do not include changing my address.

I have also changed the title emphasis because I have  started to feel strange about my nickname being the main title. I am not sure why. I don’t find anyone else who does that weird or self-consumed. I just don’t feel like it fits where I’m going. My writing name will remain Mommy Zabs and that way any contributions I make in the future will not be a direct reflection on my blog but simply a reflection of me, the author.

I know, more information than you care to know. But in the case that you do care I thought it would be right to keep you in the loop. After all, some of you have been sweet enough to follow me (and I some of you,) for a long time now.

Have a good Monday everyone. I for one should have a packed day! Jeff’s parents are coming back in town tonight!

I Gotta Ask… Everybodies Living for the Weekend?

Just out of curiosity,

1. Do you read blogs on the weekend?
2. Do you write blogs on the weekend?
3. Could you care less about blogs on the weekend?
4. Do you read MORE blogs on the weekend than during the week?

Oh yeah- I have to answer these too!

1. Yes and No. I read less than I do during the week, but really it depends on whether my husband is in town and what we have going on.

2. Sometimes- like right now at this Saturday evening post movie moment. Actually, I post most weekends. But if the post is really important to me, something I want to find my maximum readership on, I usually save it until Monday or Tuesday even if I have written it on the weekend. In fact, weekends can be a good time to plan the week, brainstorm, and/or future post.

3. I’m as total nerd. I always care about blogs. There aren’t many moments since 2004 that “I couldn’t care less about blogs”.

4. No I do not read more blogs on the weekend. If not for any other reason than the fact that the blogs I read tend to post less on the weekend (as a sum total).

On a side note: we rented the movie Music and Lyrics tonight. Cute. Not earth-shattering, but cute. And I could always use cute

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